Leaving It Alone
by Tigers and Dragons
Summary: When he confessed, she didn't know what to say and he took her silence as an answer.


**Standard Disclaimer**

* * *

Hermione looked up in surprise and shock when the door to her office closed.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely as the intruder leaned against the door.

Draco looked across the room at her, heart racing. There she sat; all prim and neat, and innocent of her affect on people; on men; on him!

"Malfoy, what do…"

Her question was cut off as he cornered her behind her desk and captured her lips in a deep kiss. She sat still, in shock, as his lips moved over hers. Then he pulled away.

"I want a chance, Granger. I'm trying as hard as I can to be the sort of man a woman like you could want. I know I've messed up my entire life, but I'm really trying. I don't know what else to do. I have been trying all year to turn my life around and you just haven't seemed to notice!"

"Malfoy, I don't…" Hermione's voice trailed off at the look on his face. He was so pathetic looking; forlorn and longing and pitiful all rolled into one.

"I just wish that you had noticed how hard I've been trying." He said quietly.

When she remained silent; just staring up at him, he sighed. "I just wanted a chance to be with you. I understand if you can't do that. Just… just tell me and I'll leave right now. I'll pretend this never happened, and I'll never mention it to you again."

She leaned forward, reaching for his face before relenting and laying her hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, looking away, not able to take the hurt on his face. "But I can't…"

Without a word, Draco straightened and left the room.

* * *

The following weeks were difficult for Hermione and she could only imagine how Draco must feel. And it hurt her to watch him.

It hurt to see him so quiet, when before he'd been articulate and vocal. It hurt to see him so docile, when he'd been working with a confidence that bordered on arrogant. It hurt to see him taking the insults that came his way whenever Ron was in the same room, and never biting back.

More than anything, it hurt to see his sad looks directed at her whenever he saw her.

He kept his word, such as it was and he never mentioned it, but it was obvious that he couldn't pretend it had never happened.

The crux of the matter was, neither could she.

Every time she saw him, she remembered his words in her office that day; when he spoke, she'd remember how quietly passionate he'd been. His presence seemed to be magnified and every little mention of him would become more significant than before.

She could no longer ignore what he'd said. But she couldn't work up the courage to confront him as he'd done to her.

The final straw was after a particularly bad day. She hadn't been able to concentrate, her boss had reprimanded her severely for missing a deadline, and when she arrived home to her flat, Ron had been lounging in her living room, eating the last of her pre-cooked meals, waiting for her to return so they could meet up with Harry.

"What are you doing here?" She asked sharply, snatching the plate away from him.

"Hey, I was eating that!" He grumbled, through a mouthful. "What's the matter with you?"

"I've had a bad day; I really don't want to be bothered right now." She replied, leaving the room in a huff.

"That Malfoy giving you trouble?" Ron asked, following her into the kitchen, "Honestly, I don't know why they'd employ a guy like him…"

"No, Ron. I don't know why anyone would employ a guy like you!" Hermione snapped. "You're rude and abrupt, ignorant and oblivious and you don't work nearly as hard as you should."

"Well, don't hold back, Hermione." He glared at her. "Go on, get it all out."

"You don't seem to understand or care about the niceties of polite conversation. You're lazy, have no respect for authority and you seem incapable of using your brain for anything other than basic motor functions. You still haven't mastered chewing with your mouth closed."

"Well, you're… you're…"

"I'm what?" Hermione asked, dangerously low, "I'm the bitchy know-it-all?"

Ron's mouth was closed but his eyes were open wide and his face was growing increasingly red. Thankfully, he was saved from answering by the sound of knocking on Hermione's front door.

"Hello? Ron, Hermione? You guys ready to go?" Harry called from the doorway.

"No." They both yelled.

Harry entered the kitchen and stopped as he absorbed the tense atmosphere.

"Harry, I don't think Hermione will be joining us tonight." Ron stated hotly, before turning and striding from the room. Hermione waved off Harry's questioning glance and then he too left the room.

"What's up with her?" He asked Ron as they walked through her flat.

"That time of the month probably." Ron muttered back.

Unfortunately for Ron, Hermione happened to hear him. With an angry gasp, she stepped in through the doorway and shot a stinging hex at his backside. He yelped in pain, turning to glare at her.

"Get out!" She snapped, pushing both of them out into the hallway and slamming the door.

As she lay in bed that night, mulling over the previous few weeks, her courage firmed. She would speak to Draco the following day.

* * *

"Draco?"

Draco looked up from his desk, surprised to see Hermione standing in the doorway, looking nervous.

"Yes? Did you need the Atkins file?"

"No, not yet."

"Oh."

"Draco, I want to talk to you." She said in a rush.

"You are talking to me." He replied, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms.

She'd read somewhere that crossed arms meant the person was defensive or closed off; he certainly looked to be both. With a sigh, because she'd brought this on herself, she stepped into his office and closed the door.

"It's about the other week." She said, "What you said in my office."

"I kept my word." He stated.

"Yes, I know you did." She looked down at the floor, leaning back against his door, her feet shuffling nervously. Because her feet held her attention as she sought for words, she missed his nervous gulp and the look of pain that flashed through his eyes.

"It's just that… well I… I'd like to give you a chance."

She worked up the courage to glance up at him, but his intense stare threw her off a little. Swallowing thickly, she stepped forward and took one of the visitors' seats in front of his desk and raised her head.

When he still didn't say anything, she smiled wanly and murmured, "You're quiet."

"What do you want?" He whispered.

"I want you," She paused, "I want you to give me another chance."

She looked away from him again, feeling vulnerable. A part of her wondered if he'd felt like that when he'd come to her office. Her logical side not only said yes, but that he would have felt a thousand times worse.

Still, he said nothing to her statement. A quick glance showed that he wasn't even looking at her.

"I don't know why you fixated on me, Draco." She said quietly, "But I can't stop thinking about what you said. And I feel horrible for not noticing you until you became so quiet."

"Brilliant." He murmured.

"What?"

He turned to face her, before stating firmly, "You're brilliant."

She stared at him, twin spots of colour rising in her cheeks.

"That's… you…" She stuttered, "So are you!"

He chuckled at her and the heaviness seemed to dissipate from the office. She smiled shyly at him, but he seemed to be waiting for her to continue. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes and she suddenly realised why.

"Draco, would you like to go out with me?" She asked, standing up from her seat with a grin and leaning against the front of his desk.

He stood from his chair also, a matching grin on his face as he rounded his desk to caress her face. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

**Author's Note: The first part of this story was lifted from another one, Hogwarts Halloween Feast and Festival by somuchcloser. I hope you don't mind. It just inspired me and I didn't want to change a thing. Except for the ending. And the setting. And how old they were. Alright, so I changed quite a bit. But the main thing is that I'm acknowledging you.**


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